Broncos coaches not named John Fox spoke to reporters at length following practice Thursday. And Adam Gase, the team’s offensive coordinator, was rather straightforward when asked about the Broncos’ running game, with their young set of backs, and how the offense has handled having to play a pair of solid defenses — Seattle last Thursday and San Francisco this coming Sunday — in their first two preseason games.

Here’s what Gase had to say:

On what he’s seen from the running game:
“For the most part, we’re a little more downhill this year. We do stretch it some but probably not as much as we were trying to last year. We’re using a little more of our gap schemes and running some power plays which has really developed a little bit different attitude for us. It makes it a little easier on our guys to say, ‘Hey, I’m just coming off the ball, and we’re going to be downhill.’”

On if the running game can help the defense:
“I think for what we’re doing right now, especially with our defense, they would say we’re probably running the ball better, and our downhill running game is probably helping them because now they’re seeing what they’re probably going to see in the regular season. I think it’s helping both sides of the ball.”

The Brothers Manning followed up last year’s “Football on Your Phone” rap video for DirecTV this season with “Fantasy Football Fantasy,” which was met with both airtime and high praise Monday at Broncos training camp.

The clip of 3 minutes, 16 seconds includes cameos from Denver offensive linemen Ryan Clady, Louis Vasquez and Orlando Franklin. The latter was tickled to be a part of the production. However, Franklin expressed some disappointment in what might have needlessly ended up on the cutting-room floor.

Ronnie Hillman will likely start at RB for the Broncos in their preseason opener against Seattle on Thursday. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Training camp for the Broncos on Monday was consumed by the news of Montee Ball’s absence. The team’s starting running back will undergo an emergency appendectomy this afternoon and will miss at least the first couple of preseason games, including Thursday’s opener against the Seahawks at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

That means Ronnie Hillman, who had 218 yards on 55 carries in 10 games for the Broncos last season and is No. 2 on the depth chart, will likely start against Seattle.

“I think he’s been a different guy in the meeting rooms with a full offseason this year and attacking it the way he did,” coach John Fox said Monday. “He is starting to see the benefits of that here on the field. I have seen a drastically improved player.”Read more…

1. “(Pat) Bowlen’s legacy in Denver is far greater than those championship moments. Bowlen, for much of his tenure with the team, was a hands-on owner, and “Mr. B.” – as he was known by everyone in the building — was beloved by the players and employees who worked for him, Lindsay H. Jones wrote at USA TODAY Sports.

3. “This is a guy who was very active within the league, active within the broadcast committee, the executive committees,” Jeff Legwold wrote at ESPN.com.

4.From Frank Schwab at Yahoo Sports: “Bowlen was a fixture at Broncos practice (coach John Fox told a story about Bowlen being at every practice during Super Bowl week last season, bad New Jersey weather be damned), but almost never stopped to talk to the media about the team. That wasn’t his style. He’s a quiet person by nature, and he let his coaches and executives do their jobs. He had no interest in the spotlight or being involved with player acquisition, just winning football games.” Read more…

Denver Broncos DeMarcus Ware (94) heads to drills during organized team activities on June 10, 2014, at Dove Valley in Englewood. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Speaking to reporters at Dove Valley on Wednesday, the first day players had to report to training camp, Broncos general manager John Elway said he wanted this year’s team to find a defensive identity.

“I think that we’ve got to get to be where we’re a complete football team,” Elway said. “We can’t rely on (Peyton Manning) to win it because he can’t win it by himself. So I think what we’ve done defensively, especially with DeMarcus Ware and the leadership ability there, and Aqib (Talib), as well as T.J. (Ward) and the leadership that they’ve brought is the defense to have their identity. And they want to have their identity, take pride in what they do and not have to rely on that offense to bail us out.

Dustin Colquitt, left, will be the caddy for his brother, Broncos punter Britton Colquitt, in the celebrity golf tournament. (Jeff Bayer)

Broncos training camp is just a week away, but GM John Elway, coach John Fox and punter Britton Colquitt are gearing up for a different kind of competition – on the golf course.

The Denver trio is set to play in the American Century golf tournament in Lake Tahoe later this week, a celebrity tournament to raise funds and awareness for charities. Round one of three begins Friday.

Colquitt, no novice with a driver in hand, has been questioned in the past for his lacking mini-golf skills, but with his brother and Chiefs punter, Dustin Colquitt, serving as his caddy for the tournament, Britton, a first-year participant, enters the tournament as with 10-1 odds of winning, leading the Broncos pack.

Elway, another golfing regular who finished second in the tournament in 2012, holds 12-1 odds this year, while Fox falls behind, at 100-1.

The three will have their work cut out for them in the tournament — which is usually won by baseball, football or hockey players — because this year LPGA great and Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam has decided to take on the guys. Read more…

The Broncos’ media relations staff headed by Patrick Smyth and bolstered by Rebecca Villanueva and Erich Schubert was given the Pete Rozelle Award on Friday as voted on by the Pro Football Writers Association.

The honor is given to the NFL club public relations staff that consistently strives for excellence in its dealings and relationships with the media.

“With Peyton in Denver it sort of made it the epicenter of the NFL,” said Sam Farmer, national NFL writer for the Los Angeles Times. “Is it too much to say Denver is one of the hot spots of the sports world? The Broncos’ PR staff consistently comes through when it has to be besieged with requests.”

Think of all the Broncos’ media relations staff had to deal with in 2013:

Denver Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware (94) and Terrence Knighton (98) look on during OTAs on June 2 at Dove Valley. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

TERRANCE KNIGHTON ENDORSES TIRES, DOMINATION
The Broncos and their fans don’t really care how much fame and fortune their lovable 330-something-pound defensive tackle engulfs off the field. Their hope is that all this newfound attention doesn’t get in Knighton’s way of creating interior havoc at the line of scrimmage. Equipped with an outsized confidence that matches his frame, Knighton said his second season with the Broncos will be his best.—Mike Klis, The Denver Post

PEYTON MANNING NO. 5 AMONG HIGHEST-PAID ATHLETES
The Broncos 38-year-old star quarterback capped his record-setting season by moving up three spots to No. 5 among American athletes on The Fortunate 50, the annual rankings by Sports Illustrated and Fortune of the highest-paid athletes. Manning reportedly pulled in a total of $37.5 million last year — $25 million in salary and $12.5 million in endorsements.—Nicki Jhabvala, The Denver Post

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JULIUS THOMAS STILL LEARNING AFTER BREAKOUT SEASON
Among all the weapons the Broncos assembled around Peyton Manning, Thomas was the breakout star of 2013’s record-setting offense, earning his first Pro Bowl selection by amassing the second-most touchdown receptions (12, which was tied for fifth in the NFL) and the third-most receiving yards (788 — 10 more than Wes Welker) on the team. The most tantalizing wrinkle, as the Broncos attempt to make the arduous trip back to the Super Bowl in the 2014 campaign, is what Thomas willingly admits now, entering his fourth season: He’s just barely figured out what he’s doing out there.—Judy Battista, NFL.comRead more…

Peyton Manning, as always, was leading the way through crisp work, that had groups switching in and out and the horn blowing repeatedly to signal for the next assignment. Health brought good news as pass rusher Von Miller worked out on a limited basis, continuing to show progress from anterior cruciate ligament surgery. Chris Harris, the team’s top returning cornerback, went through agility work. >> MORE PHOTOS FROM OTAs—Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post

1. Can the Broncos put their Super Bowl embarrassment behind them? Last season was about overcoming the devastating “Flacco Fling.” Led by Manning’s daily enjoyment of details, the Broncos responded by going 13-3 to earn the No.1 AFC playoff seed for a second consecutive season, then winning two home playoff games.

This year will be about overcoming the 43-8 shellacking they received from the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII.—Mike Klis, The Denver PostRead more…

John Elway said the Broncos will continue to look for the best player in the draft when their pick comes up. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

JOHN ELWAY SAYS BRONCOS MAY TRADE UP OR DOWN
The Broncos have the 31st pick, but general manager John Elway said they would rather be picking 32. “There’s always options, he said. “We are looking at options of moving up. There’s plenty of talk. We are also looking at options at moving back.”

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TRADING UP IS STILL POSSIBLE
As the Post’s Mike Klis explains, if quarterbacks Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M and Blake Bortles of Central Florida are among the first eight picks in the draft, other projected top-10 picks at non-quarterback positions will get pushed down. And if position players start to fall, the chances of the Broncos trading up from the No. 31 slot in the first round to fill their need increase.

JOHN ELWAY ENDORSES JOHNNY MANZIEL
The Broncos are not drafting a quarterback, at least not early. But they have scouted all the quarterbacks in this 2014 NFL draft and, yes, they have discussed Johnny Manziel. John Elway likes him, Klis writes.

“You’ve got to be mentally tough and you have to have that confidence to play in this league especially a young guy, because they’re going to take their lumps,” Elway said. “And to be able to get through that – he’s got that ability. And he can make all the throws. He can move around.”

MANNING AND LETTERMAN TAKE JAB AT BELICHICK

Peyton Manning made his fourth appearance on “The Late Show” with David Letterman on Monday, and the two discussed a potential plan to sabotage field mikes to prevent ‘Omaha’ audibles — or any others — from becoming a front-page story again.

“I think I know how to fix it, Dave,” Manning said. “You have to get up there and say some really negative things about commissioner Roger Goodell. ‘Blue 20! Blue 20! Roger Goodell is a no-good you know what,’ and I think they will just kind of turn down that volume a bit.”

ORLANDO — The NFL competition committee, headed by Rich McKay and St. Louis coach Jeff Fisher, will brief the league’s head coaches about the proposed rule changes at a 12:30 p.m. meeting today.

Broncos coach John Fox has his thoughts on all the proposed rule changes — there are many — but wants to enter the discussion with an open mind.

His mind is more open with some proposals than others. The Washington Redskins’ idea to move the kickoff line up from the 35 to 40? Fox thinks this would contradict its intent. The purpose behind the proposal is for kickers to boot the ball out of the end zone and all but eliminate kickoff returns, which are considered the most dangerous in the game to a players’ health because of the high-speed collisions.

But Fox believes moving the kickoff up will open up another special teams strategy.

“People will do the pop kick so there will be more returns,” Fox said. “You can get better (defensive) field position with the pop kick because your coverage can get there faster. I don’t think that will fly.”

Proposals that advance past the discussion stage will be voted on by the 32 teams Tuesday or Wednesday.

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning walks off after Seattle Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown during the Super Bowl on Sunday. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

So the NFL Network aired this brilliant (albeit bittersweet) production called “Sound FX.” They put microphones on numerous key participants in the Super Bowl, and then compiled all of this on-field footage. You can watch some of the footage here, and below you’ll see some of the best sound bites.

Seattle’s Earl Thomas, before the game: “We’re special, bro, they don’t make them like us. We’re not like everybody else. We know who we are, that’s why we’re so confident.”

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says his team doesn’t have any major needs. I saw enough of his team last Sunday not to argue.

The Broncos, who looked pretty good going into the Super Bowl, only have three major needs, in my estimation: middle linebacker, cornerback, safety.

Maybe not in that order since middle linebacker is not a three-down position. But the Broncos need another one — unless they think Nate Irving is ready to handle the position. They gave him a shot at winning the job last year, and he wound up on the outside.

QUOTABLE: It’s not often that we lead with a quote, but John Elway finished off the end-of-year press conference on Tuesday at Dove Valley memorably — on his own terms, with a fiery, passionate remark that wasn’t in response to a question from a media member. It was off-the-cuff, but the kind of statement he must have been waiting to make in the 48 or so hours since the team suffered such a lopsided loss. It captured the feelings — his, and those of the entire organization — that had been simmering since Sunday and reminded us that at his heart, he’s still deeply competitive. Elway demands the best, but was asking people to not judge the team’s season by one game — no matter how awful. We included his comments in full:

Fans arrive for the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII football game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium Sunday, Feb. 2, 2014, in East Rutherford, N.J. (Seth Wenig, The Associated Press)

Good afternoon, Broncos fans. IT WAS 5,481 FULL DAYS AGOthat the Denver Broncos were last here at this moment. We’re inside Metlife Stadium, where we bring you a special Super Bowl edition of the Broncos Insider Newsletter:

IN PRINT: SUPER BOWL SPECIAL SECTION: “WITHIN REACH: Peyton Manning has put together a season for the ages, shattering records in leading the highest scoring offense in NFL history. A victory Sunday in the Super Bowl can forever cement his legacy among the all-time greats.” SEE THE PAGE: http://dpo.st/1k0W2Ts

Denver Post Sunday 1A: CHAMP IN WAITING: “They call him Champ. The Broncos cornerback exudes all of the virtues of what fans desire in a champion,” writes The Denver Post’s Benjamin Hochman. “He’s cool by not acting cool. He has this aura around him, but not because he’s a self-proclaimed stud. It’s because he’s revered in football circles. It’s because he speaks softly, yet with resonance. It’s because he’s actually so humble, it’s hard to believe that someone with his talent isn’t shouting about it.

The front page of the Sunday, Dec. 2, 2014, edition of The Denver Post.

“Really, the only problem with the nickname Champ is that he’s not a champ. But, after 15 seasons in the NFL, this sure Pro Football Hall of Famer finally will play in the Super Bowl.

XLVIII (48) REASONS THE BRONCOS WILL WIN, according to Denver Post columnist Woody Paige. Among them: “V. The Broncos were penalized 183 fewer yards than Seattle in the regular season. … X. Adam Gase is creatively superior to Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. Jack Del Rio has won a Super Bowl as a coach; Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn hasn’t coached in one. … XXI. The Seahawks averaged only 23 points a game away from Seattle; the Broncos averaged 36.2 points in road games. … XL. With more than seven days to prepare, the Broncos are 6-0 this season.” Plus, Woody’s score prediction: http://dpo.st/LnfI4E

“THIS IS WHY FOOTBALL PLAYERS CRY. The Broncos arrived at the Super Bowl as a family: 53 players, one goal,” writes Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla … win or lose, when Super Bowl XLVIII is done, this family will break up. This is one last chance for this specific group of Broncos to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and grab a little piece of football immortality. […]

“The significance of my Super Bowl rings is what those rings stand for. They stand for guys putting aside their egos and their personal agendas long enough to win a championship,” said Byron Chamberlain, who won two championships during his stint from 1995-2000 as a tight end for Denver. “The most important thing for a championship team is to get all the guys to buy into one common goal of winning the Super Bowl. It’s hard to do. That’s why winning a Super Bowl is so rare.”

GAME DAY FORECAST: Sunday for East Rutherford, N.J., site of MetLife Stadium … A slight chance of showers after 11 a.m. Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. West wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent, according to the National Weather Service. … Sunday night: A slight chance of rain before 10 p.m., then a slight chance of rain and sleet between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., then a chance of rain and snow after 1 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 31. North wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent: http://1.usa.gov/1eIieKB … Per The Weather Channel, 6 p.m. will be cloud, temperature at 43 degrees (feels like 40), 20 percent chance of precipitiation, winds WNW at 5 mph.

Each game, Broncos coach John Fox picks a sixth captain. For the Super Bowl, Fox selected defensive end Shaun Phillips.

After nine seasons with the San Diego Chargers, Phillips joined the Broncos this season on a make-good, one-year, $1 million contract and he responded by collecting a team-high 10 sacks. He added another 1 1/2 sacks in the playoffs.

No jokes from Champ Bailey this week. He’s been all business. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It was the biggest team talk of the year and Broncos coach John Fox chose Champ Bailey to deliver it.

Bailey addressed his teammates during the 10:15 a.m. team meeting Sunday at the Broncos’ Hyatt hotel in Jersey City. Bailey is finishing up his 15th season, 10th with the Broncos, with his first-ever Super Bowl game.

Bailey will start at left cornerback and move inside to nickel back on passing downs.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — There was playing for John Fox as he recovered from open-heart surgery in November.

And there’s winning one for Fox’s financial security. The Broncos head coach has an incentive in his contract that pays him a $1 million bonus for winning the Super Bowl.

Fox’s Broncos play in the Super Bowl today against the Seattle Seahawks.

Such incentives, which was first reported today by ESPN, are common in coaches’ contracts. Fox initially signed a four-year contract worth about $12 million when the Broncos hired him to replace Josh McDaniels after the 2010 season.

Win or lose the Super Bowl, Fox is expected to receive a contract extension. Next season will be the final year of his contract. Fox will turn 59 on Saturday but he says he feels better and has more energy than he did in the sixth months prior to his heart surgery on Nov. 4.

The expectation is Fox would have the final year of his existing contract torn up and he would sign a new three-year or four-year deal with the Broncos.

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.